The
best way to prevent unpleasant encounters with social wasps is to avoid them.
If you know where they are, try not to go near their nesting places. Wasps
can become very defensive when their nest is disturbed. If you cannot avoid them, first try repelling them using a fake nest such as the 'Bee Free Wasp Deterrent'. These fake nests work because wasps are territorial, and do not want to build a nest near another wasp's nest. Failing that, you can use a non-toxic wasp trap, such as the Glass Wasp Trap, or the Oak Stump Farms Trap.

Using
pesticides to control wasps (yellowjackets) can be effective, but these chemicals
are harmful to the environment. Careless use of pesticides can also pose risks
to the person applying the chemicals.Before reaching for pesticides, see if these safer, natural non-toxic methods help control wasp problems.

Prevention
Seal
entry points. Solitary wasps in the home can be a nuisance; daily sightings of wasps
in the home may indicate inside nest building, and more attention to the
problem is required. Searching for and sealing off their point of entry
is the best line of defense. Check your house for unsealed vents, torn
screens, cracks around windows and door frames and open dampers. Observe
the flight path of a wasp, especially in the morning, which may reveal
the entry/exit point.

Remove food sources. In spring and early
summer, wasps are attracted to protein foods. Any food left outdoors,
such as pet food, picnic scraps, open garbage containers or uncovered
compost piles should be removed or covered. Wasps imprint food sources,
and will continue to search an area for some time after the food has been
removed.

In late summer and early fall, the wasp food preference turns to the sweet.
Their behavior is also more aggressive. Open cans of pop, fruit juice,
fallen apples beneath fruit trees and other sweet food sources will attract
wasps. Be sure to cover drinks and open food containers, keep a lid on
the compost and avoid walking barefoot near fruit trees. Remove any fallen
fruit rotting on the ground.

Avoid
swatting. Swatting and squashing wasps is counterproductive. When
a wasp is squashed, a chemical (pheromone) is released which attracts
and incites other nearby wasps. It's best to walk away from a hovering
wasp.

Avoid
wearing bright coloursor floral patterns. If you look like a big flower,
you may be attracting the curious wasp looking for nectar.

Minimize
use of perfumes and other strong scents.
In the later part of the summer, wasps are attracted to sweet smells.

Wasps building nests in your bird house? This common problem can be minimized by lining the under-roof area with
aluminum foil. Use a staple gun to attach. Another option is to rub the
under-roof area liberally with bar soap - ordinary soap like Ivory soap
will do. One application can last through an annual wasp season.

Traps
There
are varying opinions on the effectiveness of using traps to reduce the wasp
population in specific areas. This is partly due to the distance wasps will
travel when foraging. Wasps have been known to fly from 300 to 1000 yards
(meters) from their nest in search of food. Traps are more likely to be
useful in small areas.Setting out traps in the
early spring, when only a few wasps may be evident, can be most effective. This
is because these early season wasps are usually queens, and it's estimated that
each trapped queen represents several thousand worker wasps in the late summer.
You can buy wasp traps or make your own.

Make a simple Water Trap

Use
a razor knife to cut the top from a 2-liter plastic pop bottle. Cut just above
the shoulder of the bottle. Discard the screw top. Fill with water about halfway.
Coat the neck with jam, invert it and set back on the bottle. Use two small
pieces
of tape to hold it in place.

Wasps will go down the funnel to get the jam, but will find it difficult to
get out. Most will drop into the water and drown.

A few drops of dish soap in the water will make it hard for the wasps to tread
water, and will hasten their demise. (You can also add a 1/4 cup of vinegar
to the water to discourage honeybees from entering the trap in search of water.)
Note: In the spring and early summer, wasps are attracted to protein-based
baits; use jam or other sweet baits in later summer and into fall.

Empty the trap daily! As more wasps are caught,
they create a raft on which other wasps can survive for a considerable time.
Some of these wasps then find purchase on the plastic of the bottle and
eventually crawl out. The longer the trap is untended, the more wasps will
manage to escape, which may result in swarming.
The trap will be most effective if set about 4' above ground.

Buy a nontoxic wasp/yellow jacket trap or a wasp repellent

Glass Wasp TrapThis
sturdy, colored glass trap will take a bite out of your wasp problem.
Simply add the included lure, a bit of water, and replace the stopper.
Hang or place in an area with high wasp concentrations. Wasps fly up through
the bottom hole, become trapped, and drown in the water. After two weeks
replace the lure, or just add sweet liquid (lemonade works).

The Bee Free Wasp Deterrent - keeps wasps awayThe Bee Free Wasp Deterrent repels wasps, it does not harm or kill them. It works on a very simple principle: wasps avoid the nests of other wasps. By giving the appearance of a real wasp nest, any nearby wasps will keep their distance, commonly about 20' or further. No chemicals, folds flat to bring on picnics, environmentally safe. Think of the Bee Free as a "scarecrow for wasps".

Oak Stump Farms Wasp TrapThe Oak Stump Farms Yellowjacket Trap safely and efficiently catches yellowjackets and other wasps by baiting and capturing them in a reusable plastic jar. This trap is very effective because the lure’s dual action is irresistible to nearby wasps. Translucent cover over jar hides the dead wasps from view.

You may be able to locate the nest by observing the flight patterns of the
wasps: if they are flying in a straight line, they're likely on a flight path
to or from the nest. Wasps flying directly in and out of a single location
may be entering and leaving their nest.

Before
approaching the nest, be sure to wear protective clothing that covers the
whole body, including gloves and a veil which covers the face, ears and neck. Wear several layers of shirts and pants. Tape clothing cuffs at wrists and
ankles close to your body. Check carefully to ensure there are no exposed
parts of the body; wasps may target even the smallest exposed areas.

Wait
until well after dark before removing the nest. Wasps are drowsy and slower
to react during the night, but you should still exercise caution during the
nest removal process. Use a headlamp if you have one, otherwise have a helper
to hold a flashlight for you. You'll need both hands free. Filter the flashlight
by wrapping the lens with red cellophane or thin red cloth, as wasps are attracted
by yellow light. Step lightly and try not to talk when approaching the nest;
wasps are sensitive to vibrations.

Aerial
nestsPlace
a cloth bag over the entire nest and quickly tie it off at the top; as you
draw in the tie, pull the nest free. The bag should be well sealed. Set the
bag in a pail of water; drop a rock on the bag to keep it fully submerged.

Ground nestsIf
the entrance to the nest is easy to see, it can be blocked using a large,
clear bowl. Use caution as there may be more than one entrance to underground
nests. Set the bowl over the nest entrance and work it into the ground a bit
so there are no exit routes for the wasps. This will confuse the wasps, but
they won't try to dig a new entrance. The bowl should remain in place for
several weeks.

Underground or inside wall nestsNests
in wall voids or underground are more difficult to remove, and should be left
to the professional. (If you detect a wasp nest in the wall, do not try to
eradicate it from the outside. This will force them further into the house.)
When hiring a professional to treat wasp problems in the home, ask what methods
will be used. A non-toxic alternative to insect sprays and dusts is vacuuming.
Some prefessional exterminators are equipped with specially adapted vacuum
cleaners to draw out the wasps, which are then sold to pharmaceutical companies
who extract the venom for immunotherapy.

Never
try to burn an active wasp nest or flood a nest with water, as this will likely
make the wasps angry and aggressive.

If
you're stung
If
stung, the wound should be washed with water which helps remove some of the
venom, and treated with an anti-sting product or antihistamine cream which can
reduce the pain and spread of the venom.

Another treatment is to apply a poultice of meat tenderizer (for people not
allergic to bee stings) or salt to the sting site as soon as possible after
the incident. Use about 1/2 teaspoon mixed with enough water to produce a paste.
Leave on the sting site for about 30 minutes.If the sting is in the throat or mouth, or if an allergic
reaction occurs, seek medical attention immediately.Symptoms
of allergic reaction may include difficulty in breathing, dizziness and nausea.
One symptom which should alert people that they may be having a reaction is
feeling very tired. If you are stung and you want to go to sleep - get help!
Anyone with a history of hypersensitive reactions should have a sting emergency
kit available. High-risk persons should wear a medical alert bracelet or other
alert item.

A site visitor from Chicago offers this suggestion: "If you are stung and have an allergic reaction, and you have no antihistamine,
a teaspoonful of instant coffee under your tongue will work effectively as a
temporary antihistamine, and allow you more time to get medical help."
This is a valid suggestion, but it is vital that it is NOT decaffeinated, it is the caffeine that can support a dropping blood pressure pending medical treatment. That teaspoon may be repeated in
10 minutes.
A site visitor from Waukesha, Wisconsin offers this suggestion for sting treatment:
"Soak a tissue or cotton swab with distilled white vinegar, and apply to
site of bite. This will relieve the stinging in a few seconds. Continue apply
this to bite site until victim finds the bite no longer is stinging. I have
used this many times on my self as well as the young and old."

A visitor from Ottawa suggests:"Take a bunch of wild plantain -grows prolifically
on most lawns - for immediate relief - chew it up and press it onto sting -
for more elaborate poultice - add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 tablespoon of vinegar,
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda to chewed plantain in mortar - mix well and apply
- works like a charm.... "
Brad from Orlando suggests this simple, natural remedy:
"Make a paste from water and baking soda on a soft cloth or kleenex, apply
it firmly to the sting and leave it on for 30 minutes to an hour. It will stop
the stinging and itching and draw the venom out -- you will see a yellow spot
of venom in the soda when you remove the patch. This works for wasp, yellowjacket
and non-poisonous scorpion stings."

Serena from Maryland has this simple remedy:A wasp sting is also releived by cutting an onion in half and rubbing the cut part on the sting site.
Scott from Florida has this suggestion for deterring wasps from building nests in the eaves under your roof:
Down here in South Florida, we paint our house overhang with sky blue color paint. The paper wasps and the mud daubers will not build a nest on the blue paint. You can paint your bird houses underneath blue too!

Additional information:
Use of topical antihistamines (as opposed to
oral antihistamines) may occasionally lead to skin sensitisation (a form
of allergy). It is safer to use topical steroids instead which are just
as effective at combating the stinging sensation and itch felt with wasp
stings. Additionally though, steroid creams also help fight inflammation
and the "tight" feeling from stings.

Allergies
to wasps stings are obviously more of a problem. They can occur even if you
have never reacted to previous stings. Importantly, adrenaline is required
to reverse the potentially life threatening effects of swelling of the throat
and constriction of the airways. If you do not have adrenlaine with you then
its best to create your own through physical exertion. Do not lie down and
rest because this may result in permanent rest!

The other
problem with wasp stings is that in many cases they are heavily infested with
bacteria picked up by the wasp from faecal matter during hunting. Because
the bacteria come from faeces they can cause quite nasty infections and early
treatment is recommended with antibiotics to prevent sepsis.
Generally if a wasp sting remains hot and inflammed after 8 - 12 hours with
no sign of improvement, it's best to seek medical advice about getting antibiotic treatment.

If a sting does become infected then it's best to stop the topical steroid
and take oral antihistamines. Unfortunately, the sedating antihistamines are
the ones that work best so driving might then become a problem.